If you’ve ever paused before selecting e-ticket/i-ticket option while doing an online reservation the this blog is what you need. Here we tell you the exact difference between an e-ticket and i-ticket in Indian Railways online reservation system.

E-Ticket vs i-ticket

Though both are booked online, i-ticket can only be booked clear 2/3 days prior to the date of journey while e-tickets can be reserved anytime before the chart preparation.

Once booked through the website, i-ticket is couriered to the given address that takes some days to deliver, while e-tickets are directly sent to the email id within minutes of booking. The sent email is printed and used as railway ticket for journey.

i-tickets can be booked for all status, i.e Confirmed/RAC/waiting. On the other hand, e-tickets can only be booked if its confirmed or RAC.

i-ticket can’t be booked in tatkal quota as it can’t reach the destination by courier so fast. On the other hand, e-ticket can be booked one day prior to the start of journey.

A small amount of service charge is levied by railways for the booking of both i-ticket and e-ticket. Rs 40 and Rs 60 is charged for SL, 2S and all upper class coaches, respectively. In case of e-ticket, its just Rs 10 and Rs 20 for sleeper and upper class, respectively.

Cancellation of i-ticket is only possible through railway counters and before chart preparation, under normal railway rules. After chart preparation, no e-tickets can be cancelled. On the contrary, e-tickets can be cancelled anytime before chart preparation and even after departure of train.

If an i-ticket is lost, duplicate one will be issued under normal railway rules. In case of e-ticket, Rs 50 is charged for issuance of a duplicate ticket.

For any problems with i-ticket, the email id of customer care is care@irctc.co.in. While for e-ticket, the email id is etickets@irctc.co.in.

Railway issue i-tickets and it looks the same as one manually booked through ticket window at railway station. E-tickets are issued by an automated system, and looks like a letter with PNR number and passenger details etched on it.

Alteration of journey is possible with i-ticket, while its not allowed in e-ticket. On an i-ticket, a passenger can increase or decrease his journey if he wants, while e-tickets prohibits such things from happening.

Both these tickets can be booked online through railways reservation portal irctc.co.in. In both, a maximum of 6 passengers can travel on a single ticket and 10 transactions are allowed per month. The booking procedure is same, and in both the system, payment is made in advance. Tatkal fees are same with minor fluctuations in service charge and cancellation fees. Apart from this, changing of passenger name, boarding station etc are allowed in both.

In general, i-tickets are usually booked by brokers on behalf of others, while e-tickets are favored by people who directly book their ticket through the portal.